Reinforcing element for concrete structures.



J. A BTTLER.

REINPOROING ELEMENT FOB GONGRETE STRUGTI IRES. APPLICATION FILED $1311.24. 1910.

96?,505-. 7 w Patented Aug. '16, 1910.

an on w l'o v f 4 fi/ZIJAJWk/f season,

i t Beit known that 1, Joint A. E i

- States,

of which the following is a srATEsr-ATENT 1 1L. Emma, or s'arr' rnniircrscol, chnrronnrnl nnmroncrnentnnnur non. continnrn srnuo'ruitns.

To all whom it may concern:

a citizen (intention declared) of the United residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California", have invented a new and useful Reinforcing Element for Concrete Structures,

specification.

an improvement work used for .My inventionrelates to number ofsteel bars arelaid parallel in the bottom or tensile side of the girder, some of these bars having their ends "upturned, and all of the bars being transversely connected by ties of steel, commonly known as. stirrups.

The objects of the invention are, plify the process of manufacture forcing elements of the type above men to simtioned; to provide a reinforcing element which may be handled and transported with ease and with small danger of distortion;

and to providea reinforcing element which,

by'manual manipulation and without tools,

may be'given the required form upon the job, by unskilled labor- With the above and other'objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter lIlgS.

described, delineated in the, drawings, and

specifically claimed, it being understood that changes, properly falling within the scope of what is claimed, may be made, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

imilar numerals of reference are em ployed to denote corresponding throughout the several figures of the draw- .ln the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 illustrates my invention in top plan, the central portion of the device'being broken away, Fig. 2 is a pers spective of one end of the reinforcing elevment of my invention, showing the form that the same will assume after it has been bent into proper position, upon the job Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the showing of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the showing of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the invention the lower tension bars are bent, adjacent their ends.

' so that they will diverge, as denoted by the numeral 2. The ends of the lower tension bars are then brought into parallel relation as shown at 3, and terminally bend toward ties 5, by any suitable means,

of rein- 7 form they parts each other to formthe .rectangularly disposedhooks 4. The'lower tension bars are.

then laid fiat upon" a supporting surface,

. Patented aa .;i 1t;

with their intermediate portions 1, and their portions 3, parallel to each other, respec-" tively. Upon these lower tension bars, are superposed ties 5, erably disposed at right angles to the portions v1 and 3 of the bars 3, and secured to the bars, preferably by electric welding. A pair of straight bars 6, constituting the upper tension. bars, are the'n superposed upon the ties 5, intermediate the portions 1 of the lower tension bars, and secured to the preferably, as hereinbefore pointed out, by electric welding. Q

The process hereinbefore described, is can ried out in the work-shop, and when the 5 device is constructed as shown in Fig. 1,

the process of manufacture is'complete. It

should be noted therefore, that the device in its completed form, is a flat structure. By reason of this fact, alurality of these reinforcing elements may e bundled together in flat form,

may be shipped, withoutdanger of distorting the structure. It should be noted, moreover, that when the reinforcing elements are manufactured as shown in Fig. 1, and bundled together or rolled. upfor' shipment, the freight rate upon them will be materially less than under other condi-- tions. Owing to the flat formationof the reinforcing element, -the. component, parts. thereof may readily be united, preferably "by electric weldin as hereinbefore point'out.

f Infashioning this reinforcing element, there is no punching, shearing, or bolting ofthe parts, operationswhich'always result in a. weakening of the structure; -L 1keW1se, no

facture of the, device," the ordinary metal bars of commerce being employed throughout. p

The reinforcing element, in the form shown. in Fig.1, is shipped to its destination. When the reinforcing element inits flat form, is upon the job, a laborer takes his stand at either end of .the device, placing his feetupon the ends 8 of the straight upportions per tension bars 6, and seizing the .3 of the lower tension bars gives an upward pull. During this upward pull, the portions 2 of the lower tension bars, act as cranks or the said ties being pr'ef as l special shapes are requiredin the .manu-' i leverstdfacilitate the bending of the ties 5 into the upright, parallel positions shown 2, the ties 5 of Fig. 1, becoming the port-ance, for thereason that, under the superposed load upon the girder, the tension members 1 and G will have the same moinent, thus giving a maihimum'strength to the girder under the superposed load.

The portions of the device exercise double functions. Thus, the diverging portions 2 of the .lower tension members constitute cranks or levers for the bending of the ties 5, and likewise constitute, when the device is disposed asshown in Fig. 2, diagonally disation, and by unskilled labor, the reinforcposed tension-members, serving to receive .jeertain stresses in the completed girder. During the bending operation, the rods 6 constitute fulcrums, over which the'ties 5 ,1; are bent, and in the structure shown in Fig. '30" 2, these bars 6 obviously become tension elements in the completed device. The ties 5 serve as guides, adapted to maintain the portionsl and 6 of the device at fixed distances apart, and so positioned with respect to each other, that, when the device takes the form shown in Fig. 2, as soon as the ends of the ties 5 are brought into upstanding, parallel relation, the portions 1 and 6 will be disposed in a common plane, as hereinbefore pointed out. In the ultimate form of the structure, the ties 5 which, in .the first instance, serve to connect the upper and lower tension members, become the U shaped'st-irrups7.,

It should be noted that in a single operingelement may be given its ultimate form, allof the U shaped stirrups 7 being fashioned in a single operation. Every reinforcing element may be fashioned directly upon the work, under the eye of the lnspector or master-workman, thus avoiding a minute inspection of every reinforcing element'before it is embedded in the concrete, to ascertain whether or not the element has been properly bent at the factory, or to ascertain consisting of a whether the same has been strained, bent, or broken in shipment.

Having thus described the invention,what is claimed is 1. An article of manufacture constituting a reinforcing frame for concrete structures, air of. bars diverging in a common plane a ja cent their ends; straight, flexible ties superposed in'a common plane upon the bars transversely of the bars and rigidly secured thereto; and a pair of straight bars superposed upon the ties and rigidly secured to all of the ties between the first named bars, the ties constituting-the sole -means for connecting the bars.

2. An article of manufacture constituting a reinforcing frame for concrete structures, consisting ofa pair of bars diverging in a common plane adjacent their ends and terminated. in straight, parallel portions; straight, flexible ties superposed in a common plane upon the bars transversely of the bars and rigidly secured thereto; and a pair of straight bars superposed upon the ties and rigidly secured to all of the ties between the first named bars, the ties constituting the sole means for holdin the bars together.

3. An article of manufiicture constituting a reinforcing frame for concrete structures, consisting of a pair of bars parallel in their intermediate portions and diverging adjacent their ends and terminated in parallel portions; straight, flexible ties superposed upon and rigidly secured to the bars transversely thereof; and a pair of straight bars superposed upon and rigidly secured to the ties between the first named bars, the terminal, parallel portions of the first named bars constituting levers for bending the ends of the ties into parallel relation, and the straight bars constituting fulcrums for said bending of the ties; the ties constituting guides so to position the straight bars between the members of the first named pair of bars, that the intermediate portions of the first-named bars, and the straight bars, will occupy a common plane when the ties are thus bent.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. ETTLER.

itnesses:

F. H. MASON, A. K. DAGGETT. 

